>> don't you know if it's posted at 85, are there going to be police posted through that stretch to make sure you're not going too much faster than that? >> i don't care about 85. i care about 55 and 85. it's that difference. it's the delta between two different drivers that makes it more dangerous. not clearly it's dangerous at 85 more than 75, but it's the difference. the slow people and fast people. >> chad, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> thank you. and thank you so much for watching us this week. i'm brooke baldwin. let's go to "the situation room." begins right now. thanks very much. happening now, fewer new jobs and fewer people looking for i'm so a survivor of ovarian , a writd uterine cancers.. jobs. we're taking a closer look for any hopeful signs in these i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were aain in my abdomen latest jobs numbers. also, we're seeing or trying to and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. find out how the presidential candidates or many of the jobs if you have sympms tt last two weeks or longer, numbers to their own advantage. , go to the doctor and some convention watchers ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. noticed an interesting switch after decades of playing symptoms are not the same for erne. defense, the democrats now claim i sick...and then i got better. they're the party of u.s. national security. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

normally a drop in the nation's unemployment rate would be considered good news, but not today. the government's brand new report shows employers added only 96,000 jobs last month. that's far fewer than expected or needed. and even though the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1% from july's 8.3%, it really isn't a good sign. our chief business correspondent ali velshi here to explain why. explain why if it goes down from 8.3% to 8.1%? >> good question, wolf. the number of jobs created or lost and the unemployment rate. they are not connected. they are two different surveys. the way you take a poll, the

government calls and conducts two different surveys. one gives you the jobs created. one gives you the unemployment rate. the problem with the unemployment rate is that it's a percentage of the number of people who are either working or looking for work. not a percentage of everybody able to work. and what we found out is that in august 368,000 people left the work force. they dropped out. now, there are several reasons why you drop out. curiosity is sending some you are retiring, you're going stunning new pictures of mars. lisa sylvester's monitoring to school or you're that, some of the other top disenchanted. you can't find a job. stories in "the situation room" let's say you live in a part of right now. lisa. indiana where your home price is >> wolf, the rover curiosity is so low that you can't sell it, certainly living up to its name so you can't move to get a job. and transmitting amazing new the labor participation rate, images of the red planet. a new photo from the rover's which is also on that screen, that's something interesting to camera on the mast shows off the rover's arm against the remember. people say if the unemployment rate is 8%, that means 92% of the population is working, spectacular martian landscape. at the end of the arm, a high right? wrong. of the population available to resolution camera that will work, the number of people examine the planet's soil up employed today is 63.5%. close. another new photo shows the now, there are lots of reasons rover's tracks as seen from an why it's not higher than that. orbiter circling the planet. like i said, some people are in scientists can get insights into school. not to be funny, but some people the changes on the martian are in jail. surface by examining these tracks over time.

things like that. and since landing on mars on but the labor participation rate, 63.5% is the lowest it's august 6th, curiosity has been since 1981. trekked 358 feet taking pictures number three, wolf, as it moves along. manufacturing jobs. we lost 15,000 of them in nbc tonight show host jay leno august. that's a bad sign. we've been losing manufacturing is taking a $15 million pay cut, jobs generally for a couple decades. but we evened out, we bottomed 50% of his salary. out a couple years ago and we've why? to protect the staff of "the been slowly gaining every month. that's a bad sign that america's tonight show" from further losing manufacturing jobs. layoff. 20 employees were let go last so all in all, you know it, month. wolf, we've known each other a the show also confirms leno has long time, i'm optimistic. extended his contract until this is a glass half empty situation. september of 2014. >> all right. because they say if only 96,000 clint eastwood stole the show at jobs were created, they say just the republican national to tread water you really need convention when he addressed an empty chair that he said about 150,000 to 200,000 jobs a represented president obama. now he's breaking his silence month. >> crect. about that moment that went tory to stay ev. >> that's right. viral. becauspeople retire, people calling mr. obama "the greatest pass . hoax ever perpetrated on the young people enter the american people" eastwood told a workrce. they've come of age to work and we have immigration. california newspaper the chair ofto et that we always have was actually a last-minute more people, about 150,000 extra decision adding "there was a people coming into the rkforce stool there. and some fella kept asking me if ery month. i wanted to sit down. you have t crte 150,000 new when i saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea, i'll jobsghly jus t

r. en yore creating ,000, just pull the stool out there you're not solving problems. you're actuallydding to them. and i'll talk to mr. obama and i've beenngot of ask him why he didn't keep all feedback from people sing why the promises he made to are you negative about 96,000 everybody." jobs? that's 96,000 people working who eastwood says he may have "irritated a lot of lefties, but weren't working the month before. i agree with that. he was aiming for the people in it's better than losing jobs. but it's not enough. the middle." i know, wolf, you have some very wolf, in fairness to the obama strong thoughts about that, administration, we have created about clint eastwood talking to jobs in the private sector, the chair. i know you thought it was which is where you want them absolutely bizarre. >> you know, it was so awkward. created, for 30 months in a row. i was on the convention floor in the trend is correct. tampa. this just isn't a big enough and i was watching. and i was looking at the faces number. >> they did revise the previous of the delegates, the two months to show that 40,000 republicans who were there. and some of them -- i mean, i jobs they thought had been created really weren't. know i was squirming. isn't that right? it felt so uncomfortable. >> that's correct. so every month we get revisions >> yeah. to the two prior months. >> not necessarily -- i'm sure the romney folks weren't very in this case they were revisions happy about it either. lower. >> you said the romney family. what that means is if president obama were to want to claim that i think there were some people said the romney family -- he has made up for all the job >> yeah. losses since the day he took just regular delegates weren't happy either. office, he needs another 260,000 all right. never mind. we'll talk about it some other jobs created in th next two time. >> okay, wolf. block by block, we're moving months. there will be two more jobs reports before the election, the on in syria. last one will be four days shot-by-shot exclusive amazing before the election. it's a milestone that doesn't look behind the battle lines in

matter to most people. an ancient city now caught up in a modern civil war. and if you're unemployed it certainly doesn't matter to you. but it will give him the ability to say i inherited the worst economy since the eat depression and i made up for you can bee they achie ch. that, it will be a nice democratic ad the weekend before quickly,ne final questn. is it -- all of the bad numbers, lative badumbers, disappointing numbers, i should say, right now does that put added pressure on the federal reserve, ben bernanke, to take action in the coming weeks to try to turn things around? >> right. so there are a few ways to high schools in six states enrolled in the national math and science initiative... stimulate job growth. one is government policy. ...which helped students and teachers get better results in ap courses. the other is fiscal policy. which is the federal reserve together, they raised ap test scores 138%. making more money available to the banks, which means they can make more money available to just imagine our potential... businesses at a lower interest ...if the other states joined them. rate even though interest rates are pretty low right now. let's raise our scores. the fed meets next week. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. and that does put pressure on the feto say while we think this is a government policy problem and the government let's solve this. should s it if the government can't do it, we may have to. you ght see some action. it w nexill be thuray. i'll be available if it happens.

>> know you will be. we can always count on you, ali. both presidential campaigns are spinning jobs numbers as best they c. ou naonal political correspondent jim acosta mn's next campaign sto in new hampshir our white house correspondent jessica yellin is in iowa right now where the president will be speaking in a little bit. we'll have live coverage of that. let's start with jessica. how is the president responding to these disappointing numbers? >> reporter: wolf, the president acknowledged the numbers, but he looked for a silver lining. here is what he said when he was speaking in new hampshire ♪ earlier today. ♪ >> business once again added jobs for the 30th month in a row. a total of more than 4.6 million [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. jobs. join the millions of members who've chose aarp medicare supplement insurance plan but that's not good enough. we know it's not good enough. insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. we need to create more jobs go long.

faster. >> reporter: that's not good enough, wolf. that was his nod to the shrinking labor force and the slow growth of the economy. but senior administration officials, senior democrats say they do not think that the weak economy -- that these new numbers are going to have a negative impact on the race. why? because they believe that this is already factored into voters' consideration. and the race is essentially tied. wolf. >> and they say -- as they say in the markets, they've already discounted that factor, shall we say. set the scene. we're about to see a special event, the president, the vice president, their wives. what's going to happen? we're going to have live coverage here in "the situation room." >> reporter: well, i'm in iowa city where the president and vice president will appear in about two hours. a little over two hours. speaking at a university campus. one of the topics i expect the president to take on is the

different economic philosophy he shares that he embraces and how he'll draw contrast from mitt romney in a topic he'll take on no doubt is this top issue of taxes. one of the ways he's drawing distinctions and a new theme something he embraced last night and something we heard from him in new hampshire was a little bit of a joke. now to a cnn exclusive. i want to pl a piece of it for you right now, wolf. a behind the scenes look at the brutal battle for syria's >> all they've got to offer is the same prescriptions that they've had for the last 30 commercial capital. nick payton walsh made inside the city of aleppo where civil years. tax cuts. war is reduced to a blood tax cuts. stalemate. re'sc's extraordinary gut some regulations. oh, and more tax cuts. next to the tax cuts when times are good. old. tax cuts when times are bad. aleppo's old city thousands of tax cuts to help you lose a few years in the make iing. extra pounds. tax cuts to improve your love we're with rebel forces as they push into vital terrain and fight for syria's commercial life. it will cure anything according capital towards a key police

to them. >> reporter: so he's building on this theme that there's a choice between two different economic station. they mass in number and surge messages suggesting that there's one, his, that will move you forward, hint-hint. and as you've heard before, mitt romney's he suggests would take the nation backwards. wolf. forward. >> jessica, thanks very much. don't go too far away. we'll come back to you. chaos, but also bravery. the president and the vice president, their wives at a joint event. we'll have live coverage here in they move to a tree of an injured rebel at the very front. "the situation room." let's check in with jim acosta right now. he's in new hampshire seeing how mitt rney's reacting to these latest numbers. what's he saying, jim? >> reporter: wolf, mitt romney will be at this minor league baseball park in a few hours here in nashua, new hampshire, to make his pitch on the economy. somehow the superior regime fire the latest unemployment report from the government served up a power let's them escape with major league softball to the gop their wounded. contender. mitt romney tried to offer sobering words on what he called the hangover on president obama's convention party. yet another disappointing report

[ gunfire ] on the nation's stagnant job market. >> it's been 43 straight months when we rejoin them a few days above 8%. it's a national tragedy. later, they have fallen back the >> reporter: in a brief news hundred feet they have gained. conference, romney had a new line for where the president is civilians in uniform, their taking pot shots at nothing in taking the country. >> the president's plan is four particular. more years of the four last goading their enemy with years. and i don't think the american people want four more years of revolutionary song. the four last years. even offering them a number to >> reporter: romney also hit call if they want to defect. back at the president's charge that he is yet to offer many but they can't advance again. specifics, promising that his plan will create 12 million new jobs. it's not just the regime's with tax cuts, fewer regulations bomber js that hold them back. and more domestic energy. and listen to how he vowed to up on the roof we see how tackle the deficit. >> balancing our budget. snipers, deadly accurate here, president bush and president can freeze the front line. obama neither one made the kinds of steps on that front that i in this historic part of the think needed to be made. >> reporter: and as for that jab city, the rebels are trying to inch forward. from the president at romney's but so often pushed back by gaffe on whether the british were ready to host the olympics. government forces. in this case held back by a >> you might not be ready for government sniper positioned in the buildings opposite us. diplomacy with beijing if you even from the rebel's sniper positions, the regime is close can't visit the olympics without but well dug in.

insulting our closest ally. >> reporter: the gop nominee punched back. >> i'm very pleased that my a conscript years ago but now an olympic experience allows me to talk about the olympics in a straight talk manner. electrician. and i think it would be a sniper is shooting at them. appropriate if the president would talk to china in the and he moves across the road to straight talk manner. this president can tell us it was someone else's fault. >> reporter: as soon as the take him out. but his discipline and president's speech was finished, the romney campaign announced an marksmanship is the exception. aggressive ad blitz aimed at eight battleground states all he thinks he got him. captured by president obama four years ago. >> i should tell you i feel it's the older men here who are right at home because i'm in a barn. >> reporter: ann romney was in in charge. one of those targeted states, hakeem, a local commander, virginia. urging voters to turn the reigns briefly visits and tells us his on the economy over to her brigade has given up on outside husband. >> so let's talk some horse help from the west. this is our final word, he says. we don't want any help from anybody. we're no longer waiting. and we have the means to topple sense. the regime. he outlines a plan to the men. barack obama said four years ago, if i can't turn this economy around after three and a shortly afterwards this bus half years, i'm looking at a appears. one rebel tells us they plan to fill it with explosives then tie a prisoner's hands to the wheel one-term presidency. and force him to die driving the

bus bomb at the regime. [ cheers and applause ] well, it's our turn to turn the but even though we saw the economy around. and i know mitt can do it. brigade take prisoners earlier, that doesn't happen here. the bus leaves. >> reporter: now, there could be some trouble looming for mitt romney if that unemployment rate an armored truck arrives instead ticks below 8%. that's the number that he has said the president cannot beat. which they plan to place down but the romney campaign does see the street as cover for their an opening in the economy. gunmen. preparations for an operation. something they plan to drill down on as one advisor put it bombs, highly volatile canisters for the next 60 days, wolf. >> he's wrapped up at least for full of explosive. now several intensive days getting ready for the three but the men still have to focus. debates, the presidential debates, in october, is that right, jim? >> reporter: that's right. he was basically in seclusion shooting in the dark. this week, wolf. he only came out of his debate later that night we leave, but prep with ohio senator rob they drive the truck down the portman playing the role of barack obama for a couple small street. at dawn it's in place in the old events. he didn't even take his full position. press corp out with him for overnight they've tried to gain these events. just a small pool of reporters. the advantage by moving that dump truck about a hundred feet he did manage to get his message out on the economy on those two down the street past their last position, but still these men occasions. but some top advisors to mitt who have been unable to advance romney told me their big over this incredibly small emphasis this week was getting amount of terrain. ready for these debates. the regime fires grenades

they know this is the next big setting it alight. audience for this republican nominee heading into the fall, wolf. >> there will be a huge the rebels decide to fight back. audience, i'm sure. thanks very much for that, jim this is an anti-aircraft gun. acosta. much more on the jobs report, the fallout for the president, the fallout for mitt romney, much more coming up. we'll also talk about that and more with our chief political analyst gloria borger. ♪ they run forward tofire rocket-propelled grenade. there's too much smo to kn what they've hit. more a game here than a fight to the eath. but th is a city of millions tornart by every battle for every hdred feet. nick paton walsh, cnn. and you're in "the situation room." ha the glow fr the democrat cvention giv way to a bit of gloom. disappointing jobs numbers shadow preside obama as he hits the campaign trail. and mitt romney is quick to tak adnt romney mayave a w headache of his own. have hacked in his tax

returns. it's demanding a om is it heist, or is it all a hoax? and her fiery armoq waving spee got the crowd goin the mocratic convention now it's going viral. if you missed jennifer granholm, we're going to give you another chance. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." didn't take president obama long to get back on the campaign trail. hoafeavi the fired up convention cwd in charlotte, [ male announcer ] how could a luminous protein in jellyfish, he began a campaign swing in new but president obams bringing impact life expectancy in the u.s., some extr baggage with him, ew job numbers that show real estate in hong kong, the labor marke swing down and the optics industry in germany? sharply. thec adding just 96,0 at t. rowe price, we understand the connections

of a complex, global economy. jobs in augu. down from revised 4000 in it's just one reason over 70% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. from 8.3% to 8., but that's t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses because ndreds of thousands of americans stopped looki for to read and consider carefully before investing. work. the economy needs manufacturing. re's cnn's white house machines, tools, people making stuff. correspondent dan lothia >>rst lady an thebidens, companies have to invest in making things. president obama tried to build a infrastructure, construction, production. momentum from the democratic national onvention. we need it now more than ever. at his first stop here in chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars portsmouth, the president made his pitch to the middle class. but also confronted the reality back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. of a still struggling economy. we need to get the wheels turning. even before he began drawing a i'm p. making real things... contrast between his policies for real. ...that make a real difference. and the ideas of his republican ♪ opponents, president obama admitted there was no better person to make his case than i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup former president bill clinton. and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? >> somebody e-mailed me after yes, ma'am. 100 calories. his speech and said you need to yea...i'm gonna need some proof. appoint him secretary of we get that a lot... let me put you on webcan... see? hearty vegetables... explaining stuff.

that's pretty good. lean roasted chicken... that's what this election's and a creamy broth that tastes indulgent -- but isn't... about. >> reporter: explaining is one so feel free to enjoy a bowl anytime. thing. turning the economy around is mmm proving to be much more i can still see you. difficult. the gust jobs report is another reminder. the white house insists the [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. economy is healing, but slowly. and as the president reminded supporters in new hampshire, adding instead of subtracting jobs. >> business once again added jobs for the 30th month in a more now on the dismal jobs row. a total of more than 4.6 million report. the possible fallout for president obama's re-election campaign. our chief political analyst jobs. gloria borger is here to talk but that's not good enough. we know it's not good enough. we need to create more jobs about it. he was urging patience last night, gloria. the president, listen to this. faster. >> reporter: but republican opponent mitt romney says the president doesn't know what he is doing when it comes to jobs >> i won't pretend the path i'm and the economy. offering is quick or easy. >> after the party last night, the hangover today, the jobs numbers were very disappointing. i never have. you didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. you elected me to tell you the >> reporter: both campaigns are offering different visions on how to fix the problem. and their messages are aimed at truth.

and the truth is it will take middle class voters. more than a few years for us to especially those in key solve challenges that have built battleground states. up over decades. at his first post-convention >> so the jobs numbers that came rally, the president ticked through his accomplishments and out today, which were offered a list for the future. disappointing. >> right. >> how does that play as far as from boosting exports to what he was trying to say in his acceptance speech? investments in clean energy and >> well, there are a couple ways to look at it. education. and he blamed congress for first of all, what you hope when standing in the way of progress. you're a campaign going into a convention is that you're either >> we could create a million new going to break the race wide open or you're going to get a jobs right now if congress would significant bounce coming out of pass the jobs plan that i sent it. to them a year ago. and i think what these numbers could do is affect the size of a >> reporter: for voters bounce if there's going to be any bounce. we saw the mitt romney didn't frustrated by the slow recovery have much of a bounce. and uncertain about the president's ability to fix the maybe the president wasn't going to get one anyway. economy, vice president biden but maybe it could sort of tried to sway them with an emotional appeal. undermine the size of it. >> he has courage in his soul. on the other hand, wolf, i will he has compassion in his heart. also argue that in the and he has a spine of steel. long-term, not in the short-term, but the long-term i >> reporter: with both think people's feelings about conventions over, the question the economy are already cooked. is, has anything in this race i think that that probably changed? senior white house advisor david happened some time over the summer when job growth was pretty anemic. and so i think that the people pleth told reporters not to who are disaffected because of expect a significant the economy, they'll look at post-convention bounce. what the president said. the race will most likely remain

and they'll decide whether they where it was. want to be more patient or not. wolf. >> let's take a closer look at both presidential candidates' because they already know that strategies from now until the state of the economy is what november with the "new york it is and that these numbers are times" political correspondent pretty much what was anticipated. >> it's a delicate line for romney and his advisors to walk. jeff zellany and ryan liz. >> oh, yeah. >> you can't seem to be rooting ryan, were you surprised the for the country to lose jobs. president didn't offer more here's how he handled that specific details on how to question today in iowa. achieve those goals in his acceptance speech? >> i was. >> the republicans are fighting i mean, he did offer more for moves to help the economy. specificity than romney's my five-step plan is designed to get the economy going. speech. you're not going to get this economy going unless you do the things i described. and if you continue with a the way he set up the speech we president who as you saw last deserved a little more detail. night had no ideas about what to do for the economy. remember at the beginning of his >> so how do they walk that speech he said this was one of line? >> just the way you heard him. the most important election of our lives, a clear choice about the two competing visions of the role of government society. he's essentially saying that the president's incompetent and he's in that clip you played wolf, the one more competent to deal he talks about he's a president with the economy. who tells you the trut he can't seem to be cheering for and i left the speechnd a bad economy. re-read ts morning a couple but that's why at these times still wondering onom of conventions we heard so much e g issues he's tald about

talk about trust and character a lot in the last few years, and values. what he's going to do and whether he will pursue them if the stewardship of the economy he's -e mentioned climate chang is turning into a values issue. but didn't real tell us and does the president have the whhe would do on that. right values or understand we don't know on immigration reform. americans enough and the trouble is hgoing toursue a that small businesses are having comprehensivdeal or no and the first and most fraught from mitt romney's point of issue l face, the fiscal view, from the president's point cliff,e don' know exact of view he says mitt romney lives by a different set of what his tax reform plan is. we don't know whate would do rules and doesn't understand the on medicare and social security and all those very complicated pain you are suffering. so that's why we heard so much of this sort of revelations issues regarding getting a deal about who thes men are. to deal with the long-term because after all, you need to fiscal situation. so i found the policy parts of trust one of them with your economic future. the speech -- they seemed like >> people are always making fun of these conventions. they really don't matter. they were wrung through the i think they do matter. pollsters and campaign >> i do too. strategists a few too many >> i think bill clinton showed times. they seemed a little small bor that they mattered. what does president obama need to do? he needs to bring back into the to me. >> let me bring jeff into this party all those people who voted conversation. we heard paul ryan. for him the last time, that we heard joe biden. base. young people, women, minorities, we heard the president of the united states. they can't be apathetic. they all went out of their way they might not go out and vote raising the whole simpson balls for romney, but they have to

come back and vote for him. and what bill clinton for example did is he reassured a commission but they all rejected lot of those folks. it when they had an opportunity >> exactly. to promote it. they might be staged, aside from were you surprised by that, clint eastwood who was pretty jeff? well not staged, they might be >> it was a little surprised by staged. but what they do is they tell that. and i agree with ryan. you what the parties stand for. in this particular year the visions could not be more different. we heard the word choice so many this campaign's slogan is times from president obama last forward and they were promising he would give a window into t next fouryears. night. and i think the people deserve but at the same time it was not to kind of understand and get it a state of, you know, the union sort of put out there what each party stands for. address. it was an acceptance speech for and then make their decision and the party's nomination. if you look back at these two and, i guess looking at wt conventions, it comes down to one thing. they were trying to achieve, what is the role of government simply overall was to ask voters in our lives? is there too much government? for their patience, to ask for a as the republicans believe. little more time to get things or as the democrats believe, do done. and he was talking to voters who already supported him once four you need government to keep that social safety net and to grow years ago. that's all he needs. i mean, he is not trying to the economy from the middle out? >> much more on the conventions, necessarily puersuade any new much more on the jobs numbers voters. coming up. he's trying to re-engage and >> yep. >> gloria, thanks very much. re-energize some voters who may also other news we're not be quite as sure of him this following. it was once a hurricane, will it time. overall i don't think it will go be a hurricane again? down as one of his best

we're tracking the storm named speeches. but often speeches in the leslie. plus, prince harry now on history of president obama and even senator obama sometimes looked better farther down the the war zone fresh over the scandal of his wild time in road than they look in the vegas. great shot. moment of the speech. i think we've sort of glorified some of his speeches over the years in terms of being so how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? spot-on in the moment. if he wins re-election to a by building on the cisco intelligent network second term in november, i think they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, this speech will be remembered as being just fine. creating fans from berlin to beijing. >> i think everyone thinks what can we help you build? president clinton -- president clinton by all accounts gave a nice shot kid. great speech. the nba around the world he certainly did a lot of help built by the only company that could. cisco. for president obama. he's going out to campaign for him. he's going to raise money for him. how significant is president i i had pain in my abdomen...g. clinton's role in trying to get it just wouldn't go away. i was spotting, president obama's second term? but i had already gone through menopause. >> i think it's pretty these symptoms may be nothing... important. i mean, you know, as the obama but they could be early warning signs of a gynecologic cancer, campaign points out, there are only a couple national such as cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer. politicians who have approval feeling bloated for no reason. ratings as high as president that's what i remember. seeing my doctor probably saved my life. clinton. basically clinton and michelle obama. once you start getting in the warning signs are not the same for everyone. mud of partisan politics, your if you think something's wrong... approval ratings start to drop.

see your doctor. ask about gynecologic cancer. and ton's been attle out and get the inside knowledge. of the game for the last few years. he's seen as moreior statesman. and there are plenty of republicans that now have fond -- look at him fondly. and i also think the fact that obama and clinton have this complicated history. they're not the best of friends. i think it makes clinton a more -- a better validater for obama. when you watch them hug on stage the other night and you know the back story, you know that bill clinton didn't always like and respect this guy. it means a little bit more when he goes all out campaigning for him. soyou know, some people in the campaign will call him their secret weapon. it sounds like he's going to be doing a lot more in the next few weeks. >> yeah. you had a great piece in the new yorker magazine on this relationship. jeff, it was interesting on the morning after the democratic convention, the romney campaign

releases ads in eight battleground states. i'll put them on the screen. colorado, iowa, nevada, ohio, new hampshire, virginia, north assume those are the battleground states they think they have a good chance of winning. missing from that list, wisconsin, paul ryan's home state. michigan, were you surprised for example wisconsin and michigan were not included? >> wolf, i was not surprised that michigan was not included. i mean, governor romney -- i was just thinking back to a conversation i had with him a year ago. and i asked him if michigan would sort of remain a sentimental favorite. and he said he would look at the map and see. so i think that the romney campaign knows that michigan is a stretch. something would have to shift fairly fundamentally in this race with the economy and perhaps other things for michigan to be in play. wisconsin was a bit more of a surprise. wisconsin is a much more of a classic battleground state.

even though democrats have won it in the last five presidential elections, it's still been very close in 2000 and 2004. and paul ryan comes from a state that's more of a democratic area. so if he was to win over some of the democrats in janesville, in rocket county where he's from, that could help the republican ticket. the romney campaign i think is going to wait and see what happens with some of the ads that some republican super pacs are placing in wisconsin. seeing if it softens things up a little bit before they spend some of their own money there. militant group blamed for the deaths of american and nato troops now being officially north carolina was also an interesting place. branded a terrorist the romney campaign clearly believes they still have some organization. lisa sylvester's monitoring that work to do. and some of the other top stories in "the situation room" and that they have not closed right now. what's going on, lisa? the deal in this state. >> hi, wolf. but you're right. well, secretary of state hillary these eight states are a road clinton notified congress today of her decision to officially map. and bill clinton is going to ohio and florida. designate the haqqani network as so they're probably not two more a terrorist group. important states and if you want linked to al qaeda and taliban a third, virginia, those three allegedly carried out an attack

are the top states. >> clinton could do great in kabul, afghanistan last year. especially for the president in and the death toll is climbing florida. thanks very much, jeff. in a string of powerful ryan lizza, thanks to you as well. in our next hour we'll hear live from president obama, vice earthquakes in china. president biden. at least 67 people have been they're together also with their killed. wives at the university of iowa 731 others are injured. nearly half a million homes were in iowa city. we're going to have live damaged. four earthquakes struck the coverage of that event. mountainous region one after the that's coming up in our next other in a span of less than two hour. there's one item in the democratic party platform that hours. and what was hurricane leslie is republicans hope will derail now a tropical storm. president obama's chances in it stalled about 450 miles from november. that's just ahead. bermuda and now likely will miss the low lying islands. but forecasters are still warning that it could still threaten coastal areas by sunday with large waves and dangerous rip currents. the national hurricane center expects leslie to regain you see us, at the start of the day. hurricane strength once it starts moving again over warmer on the company phone list that's a few names longer. waters. and britain's prince harry, he's you see us bank on busier highways. in afghanistan. he arrived there today to start on once empty fields. a four-month military deployment everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank as an apache helicopter pilot. the third in line to the british are helping grow our economy. throne stationed at a military lending more so companies and communities can expand,

base in the taliban heartland. a palace source says he's going grow stronger and get back to work. to be treated just like any everyday you see all of us serving you, other soldier. just last month you may recall around the country, around the corner. photographs of the prince naked in las vegas made tabloid us bank. headlines. i think he's going to want to put all that behind him and focus on other things, focus on i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup the future now that he's in but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. afghanistan. >> we just hope he's safe. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. just hope he gets home safe and but now she wants my recipe sound as well. [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? a seismic shift in foreign policy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. do democrats now have more muscle than republicans? we're going to talk about that and more. our strategy session is next. and sounds vying for your attention. [ male announcer ] the first look...is only the beginning. so we invented a warning you can feel. ♪ introducing the all-new cadillac xts. ♪ available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, introducing a stunning work of technology. u're warned by a pulse in the seat. ♪ it's technology you won't find introducing the entirely new lexus es. in a mercedes e-class. and the first ever es hybrid. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, this is the pursuit of perfection. and it's bringing the future forward.

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that's why humana agents will sit down with you, produced the jobs that the american people need. i expected him to talk about 23 to listen and understand what's important to you. million people or at least to talk about the unemployed in it's how we help you choose the right humana medicare plan for you. america. i expected him to talk about the number of families having a hard because when your medicare is taken care of, time making ends meet. the number of middle income you can spend more time sharing your passions. wow. families who have seen the cost [ giggles ] of health insurance go up, cost [ male announcer ] with the people who matter most. of food go up, cost of gasoline i love you grandpa! i love you grandma! go up. even as their incomes have gone now you're a real fisherman. down. i expected him to talk about those things. [ male announcer ] humana. but he did not. instead it was a whole series of new promises, which he also wo a to keep. because the policies he believes in and the direction he's pulling will not make america stronger. if president obama were re-elected, we would have four president obama and his more years of the last four years. fellow democrats are blasting and the american people are going to say no to that. mitt romney and republicans blasting foreign policy. >> but our friends at the >> on one side of the this republican convention, they've talked a lot about what they campaign we have a president who thought was wrong with america. has made america lead like they didn't tell you what was america again. and what is there on the other right. they didn't tell you what they'd do to make it right.

side? an extreme and expedient they want your vote, but they ido lacks the judgment and the visions so vital for the don't want to show you their plan. and that's because they know oval office. the most inexperienced foreign their plan won't sell. that's because all they've got policy two-some to run for to offer is the same prescriptions that they've had president and vice president in for the last 30 years. decades. >> most of allresint obama had an unylding faith in theí( tax cuts, tax cuts, gut some capacity and the capability of regulations, oh, and more tax our special forces. literally theinest warriors in cuts. tax cuts when times are good. the history of the w tax cuts when times are bad. >> my oppont and his running tax cuts to help you lose a few mate are new feign policy. extra pounds. tax cuts to improve your love life. it will cure anything according but from all that we've seen and to them. >> president obama and vice president bden expected to be heard, they wanto take us back speaking once again in our 6:00 ton erof blustering and blundering that cost america so p.m. eastern hour. when that happens we'll bring it to you live at the university of dear. >> interesting switch. iowa. same sex marriage is on again today's strategy session joining an ection issue. but this time the democratic party and the president, they democtic strategist mo and are coming down firmly on the

side of extending marriage rights to gaye couples. republican strategist stewart. so what impact will that have on ice, you wanto respond? ose of us who have covered the november election? politics for a long time, let's go tour white house normally it's the hig decro bein weak on nional se. correspondent brianna keilar. >> reporter: at this convention, this time around the democrats ttd a huge opening becau romnn h acceptance speech democrats are wholeheartedly didn't even thank the u.s. embracing same sex marriage, in the very state that just passed 00. a referendum banning same sex fighting f their lives in afghanistan right now. marriage. there was no appciatio in s colorado's first openly gay acceance speech for what they person to be elected to a first are doing. >> well, the question ish i term in congress spoke tuesday. >> that's why we must continue barack obama to question anyone's foreign policy bringing america together. experience? you know, to say that mitt ♪ >> reporter: and just take a romney is new to national look at the entertainment security and foreign policy is laughable. lineup. delta ray wrote the anthem he has zero military experience. opposing the same sex marriage ban that passed here may 8th. and his policies thus being it was one day later that president of leading from behind president obama changed his has made america weaker in the stance on the hot-button issue. eyes of the world. the way he has not stood up to >> i've just concluded that for iran and allowing them to continue to build nuclear weapons. me personally it is important that's not oo the on plac he really wants for me to go ahead and affirm to cut the budget deals with the military. and whiering to foreign that i think same sex couples should be able to get married.

leaders, wait until i get re-elected, i'll be more >> reporter: four years ago when flexible with you. he was running for president, that is not what we need. obama held a different view. we neett romney. anhis plans for dealing with >> define marriage. foreign policy would not cut the >> i believe that marriage is the union between a man and a would support the military. woman. and he strongly believes in >> reporter: the president's change of heart has energized peace through strength. the only way to haveong young voters and his base. military is toontinue to >> it absolutely makes me support it financially. i'm going to let mo respond to that. respect and support him ten trps in his acceptance speech? times more. that's an issue for the bedroom. >> wel hemet with them at day before. not for our courts. granted he talked about many >> reporter: six out of ten americans have a family member things during that night when he had the t t speak. or close friend who is gay. and most americans now support same sex marriage. but it's also a devicive issue granted it pbably would not have hurt to mention that. but he talked about what people coerned with.ntry ar that could cost the president jobs and economy. some votes. >> i haven't decided who i'm and plan to helpngth the going to support for president this year. middle class and turn the economy ar and create jobs marriage should definitely between a man and a woman. through his plan for working on just say it that way. >> reporter: republicans are energy and deficit reduction, hoping ads like this one made by improving skills for american a conservative super pac and workers, putting america on a running this week in north level playing field when it carolina will pull voters aw comes to trade. these are things that will help from the president. >> obama is trying to forceay strengthen our economy and put people back to work. marria onhis country. >> all right. that's n the change i voted go ahead, mo. >> i think the republicans and for. marriage is between a man and a

the romney/ryan ticket are in a woman. tough spot here. first, the american people think >> that's not the change i voted the president has done a for either. thaan we do? fantastic job on foreign policy >> wcan vote for someone with and national security issues. values. >> reporter: but the obama as we heard repeatedly campaign is betting he gains throughout the course of this past week, his leadership more votes and campaign donations than he loses over this issue. the day after her big speech, getting outside of the war in iraq, beginning to draw down michelle obama touted what her troops in afghanistan as well as husband has done for gay and going after al qaeda and taking lesbian voters. >> whether it's passing hate out osama bin laden. those are just cornerstones crimes legislation or speaking out for the rights of all along with the broader foreign americans to be able to do what policy objective of rebuilding our standing in the international community. which was in a terrible place barack and i did, which is marry the loves of our lives. before president obama took office. the contrast with mitt romney -- >> reporter: cnn, charlotte. my problem is not his lack of experience. my problem is his lack of vision >> washington state, minnesota, on foreign policy. maryland and maine will have and the fact that he said as a candidate that we didn't need to that issue on the ballot. a scathing statement for move heaven or earth to take out one guy, that one guy being diplomats to leave. osama bin laden. canada, cutting ties with what i think most people would it considers the world's most disagree with that. significant security threat. the fact that his first foreign stay with us. you're in "the situation room." eat shot. policy trip as a candidate he

insulted one of our biggest allies. there's a lot of reason to be concerned about a romney foreign how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? policy. >> hold on, alice. playing off of that, they were by building on the cisco intelligent network clearly trying to drive home the they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. point, the democrats, at their convention that it was this what can we help you build? president who gave the order to those navy seals to kill bin nice shot kid. the nba around the world laden. built by the only company that could. cisco. listen to this. >> ask osama bin laden if he is better off now than he was four alright, yand... flip!in? whoa! did you get that? years ago. >> we can now proudly say what yep, look at this. you've heard me say the last six it takes like 20 pictures at a time. i never miss anything. isn't that awesome? uh that's really cool. you should upload these. months. osama bin laden is dead. and general motors is alive. i know, right? that is really amazing. pictures are so clear. >> a new tower rises above the kevin's a handsome devil. new york skyline. that phone does everything! al qaeda is on the path to defeat. search dog tricks. and osama bin laden is dead. okay, see if we can teach him something cool. >> all right. they clearly think that's a huge look at how lazy kevin is. winning issue for them. kevin, get it together dude. cmon, kevin. i assume you agree it is an vo: take 20 pictures with burst shot on the galaxy s3. important winning issue, the fact that on his watch he managed to do what president bush could not do, namely kill so how much do we owe you? that'll be $973.42. bin laden. >> well, i agree with mo. you're not going to find an

ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. american anywhere that's going to disagree with the fact that who do you think i am, quicken loans? the president made the right call with going after bin laden. [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage that was a good call. but there's a lot more involved with quicken loans, in foreign policy and national you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. defense than that one call. because the last thing you want and going around the world in a is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. world apology tour, that didn't help our standing across the world. and cutting military spending, that doesn't help us militarily. ♪ one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. while national security is a big issue and it's critical and hats off and prayers go out to military families, jobs are the i'm also a survivor of ovarian a writand uterine cancers. number one issue. and with the jobs report that came out today of 8.1%, we have i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen unemployment rate above 8% for and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. 43 months. the president promised us it wouldn't go over 8%. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, he said if he can't turn the economy around, this will be a be brave, go to the doctor. one-term proposition. that's a promise i'd like to ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. hold him to. >> is there a risk, mo, you're a symptoms are not the same for everyone. good political strategist, is i got sick...and then i got better. there a risk of the democrats overplaying their hand? overly politicizing the killing of bin laden? >> i don't think they're overly

politicizing it. one of his accomplishments was not just taking out bin laden, but redirecting our national security resources -- the al qaeda infrastructure throughout the region. that is something the american people were very, very concerned about. rightfully so. and this president reprioritized that as a national security objecte. and at's something we should talk about as we look at which of these two candidates is going to be best to lead our military's commander and chief moving forward. >> mo, alice, both of you standby. we have more to talk about. thursday was president obama's big night at the democratic convention. a lot of people are still talking about the former president, bill clinton. could that hurt come november? or will it help?

every time a local business opens its doors, or makes another sale, or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. canada calls it quits with it's good for the entire community. iran. lisa sylvester's monitoring at bank of america, we know the impact that, some other top stories in that local businesses have on communities. "the situation room" right now. lisa, a lot of folks probably that's why we've extended over $4 billion in new credit didn't even know canada has diplomatic relations with iran. at least until now. to local businesses across the country so far this year. >> yeah. that is right, wolf. you know, canada is cutting diplomatic ties with iran now. because the more we help them, the more we can help it's already shut down the make communities stronger. canadian diplomatic mission in iran and now called its staff mid grade dark roast forest fresh home. today, canada's foreign affairs full tank brain freeze cake donettes minister ordered iran's rolling hot dogs g of ice anti-freeze diplomats out of the country in wash and dry the next five days. diesel self-serve in a scathing statement he fix a flat blasted iran over increasing jumper cables 5% cashback concerns about its nuclear signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. program, antisematic rhetoric it pays to discover. and support of terror groups. four nfl players have been given stop! stop! stop! come back here! the go ahead to play this weekend despite being suspended

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for everyone. america, i never said this journey would be easy. and i won't promise that now. yes, our path is harder. but it leads to a better place. yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave no one behind. i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. >> the president's acceptance speech last night. i'll have more awkward conversations let's get back to mo elleithee than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. and alice stewart. but it's for them, he's sort of getting tepid so i've found a way. reviews, but still a pretty who matters most to you says the most about you. powerful speech. >> well, he's a great speech massmutual is owned by our policyholders giver. there was a feeling amongst the so they matter most to us.

crowd last night, we were there, it was amazing. massmutual. we'll help you get there. and people were energized. but the problem is all they talked about was here's my vision, here's what hopes and dreams, but we need plans. we need specifics on what he's going to do in the next four years. we rolled the dice four years ago on hope and change. and we got blindsided. we can't have it anymore. we need a specific plan, like my name is adam frucci and i'm the i love new technology,om. so when i heard that american express the romney/ryan plan to help the and twitter were teaming up, i was pretty interested. middle class. last night was a great party. turns out you just sync your american express card securely this morning we woke up with a terrible hangover with this to your twitter account, tweet specific hashtags, unemployment report and we cannot continue down this path and you'll get offers on things you love. president obama has led us on. this totally changes the way i think about membership. we can't continue to have unemployment above 8%. we've got the lowest job saving money on the things you want. participation in three decades to me, that's the membership effect. because people are simply not nice boots! entering the work force because there's no jobs out there. we need someone who will go in there, reduce the size of government, encourage private you walk into a conventional mattress store, sector growth and get people back to worth. it's really not about you. >> i'm going to bring in mo. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can but i'll point out a lot of lie on one of those. we provide the exact individualization criticism of mitt romney at the same time for not being specific that your body needs.

himself in releasing details on oh, yeah! wow. what he specifically would do once you experience it, there's no going back. including some of the editorial final days of our biggest sale of the year, page writers at "the wall street journal" who are basically and every bed is on sale. conservative. queen mattresses now start at just $599. mo, as far as the president's speech last night, was that written for the huge bank of and save an incredible 40% on our silver limited edition bed. america outdoor football stadium only through sunday, only at one of our 400 sleep number stores. where there would have been 65,000 or 70,000 people outdoors as was the case in denver four years ago? would it have come across better outdoors as opposed to indoors at that time warner cable arena where there were about 20,000 or 25,000 people inside? >> yeah. honestly, i don't think the venue mattered one bit, wolf. i think what people actually cared about was the substance. and i got to disagree with alice. big difference between president obama's speech and governor disappointing new employment romney's acceptance speech was that president obama had a numbers took some of the wind out of the democrats' sails vision. that president obama did talk today. the economy added only 96,000 about the future. all governor romney talked about jobs in august. that was well below was i'm not barack obama. well, that's not a vision. that's not telling anybody about expectations. the unemployment rate dropped

where he wants to take the from 8.3% to 8.1%. country. i thought this was a very well that's because so many people orchestrated convention with stopped looking for work. michelle obama giving us more let's go out front right now with cnn's erin burnett. insight into barack obama the man. followed by bill clinton talking how much pressure does this put on the federal reserve chairman about the obama record on the economy and trying to bring ben bernanke to do something? >> it puts a lot of pressure on people together. and then teeing it up for him. wolf, there's anand naidoo yul president obama to talk about symposium he hosts in wyoming in what's next. and i thought that was very the summer. that was just last week. powerful. >> but you know, mo, the first he talked about the jobs market and the united states being a grave concern. lady did do a great job in her now, for him that's a very, very speech. bill clinton did an amazing job strong adjective to use. as well. to use the word grave. the criticism of the president and that was before we got this number. and the number really is weak. whilhe set certain goals and said this is how many js i and it shows that the economy want to create, this is what wae just continues to sort of stumble along. when you look at 96,000 jobs, it concerned,he environment is concerned, he didn't go into wasn't just that. specifics and lay out how he's the past two months they weren't going to achieve those goals, great to begin with. they got revised lower. mo. thatas folks. not as many jobs created in june and july as we thought and then and th were disappointed he august was weak. didn't use that venue to do it. and nothing was in there that >> well, look, ts speech was looked good. people dropping out of the work force, the number of hours people work, the wages per hour, really the first stop in the general election campaign. nothing indicating any improvement. it was august, the end of the summer.

and this -- i don't believe -- i but this is a trend we have know there's a lot of people started to see. wondering what kind of bounce ben bernanke now is going to either side is going to get. be -- the pressure will be to do i don't believe there is going to be much bounce for either another round of so-called side because i believe this is going to be a continuous quantitative easing. conversation with the american easing money and flooding the people over the next eight and a half weeks or so. system with money to get interest rates to go lower. so the president yesterday laid the challenge, wolf, is that he out the vision, laid out the has done this several times. broad strokes of where he wants he has not perhaps gotten the support that he would like from to take the country. between three debates and eight congress or the white house. and a half weeks of campaigning, both of them to blame for not there's going to be plenty of passing more help out of time tofill in those details. washington. but he's brought interest rates down. but as i said,t least laid that's what he can do, right? they're already rock bottom. out that vision of where he wants to go. and we're still dragging along. something i don't think very so he could keep flooding the system with money, but every time you flood it, you got to many people at all on either wonder if it's a lot less side are hearing from governor effective than the last. romney. >> very quick. i have to wrap this up. that's what we've seen the last the president got a huge, huge few times. >> that raises a question, would super star to go out the next few weeks and raise money for any specific fed action make a him, do some campaigning, difference between now and speaking for him namely former election day? >> that's the hard thing, wolf. president bill clinton. high octane as we all know. i mean, one thing that it would very, very popular in terms of probably do -- that's why you didn't see the market drop a lot bringing back democrats today, it didn't go up a lot, dependts, moderates or but it could make stocks go up. whatever. when you look at the big thing does mitt romney have a similar for the obama administration, high octane super star that can that the stock market's up 65%,

go o there and do the job for him? 70% since he took office, that's don't need a high octane super an incredible number. it's the second best performance star. since eisenhower. they need a ue leader. they need someone that will go and a big part of the reason is in there with a plan. grte clinton gave ben bernanke and easy money. another great speech. when ben bernanke throws the he's very energizing and money at the system, the market goes up. that helps 50% of americans. charismatic and the people loved him. the wealthiest 50%, perhaps. he's not running fpresident. unfounately, barack obama is on the democratic side. but what about everybody? and you can't take a vision t there's real kwi about the the bank and deposit it. efficacy of what ben bernanke can do. you can't ta vision an pay so he can try, but without your bills. you need a specific plan. washington helping, ie congress, and the romney/ryan five-pnt the president and fiscal policy, it's getting less effective every time. plan, he has outlined that. >> chances of congress doing anything between now and the election zero. he specifically wants to look at >> zero. >> and you're absolutely right energy, trade, skills. he wants to look at deficit about the dow jones. reduction. it was about 7,000 when the and he wants to repeal and president took office. replace obama care and do away it's over 13,000 right now. so if you've got a 401(k) -- with the burdensome regulations in this country. those are specifics. >> hold on, guys. we have to wrap it up. we're out of time. the only point i want tomake, >> this is nothing to scoff at. alice, those are goals, those but usually the market goes up five specific points. as fars specifics how he's because it foresees an advance going to cut, for example, tax that the economy is getting

reform. he wants t c ta rates, but better, more hiring, more money. he doesn't say wch loopholes, this time the market is the barometer that stands out as not which deductio, ate wants to do to balance some of thos going up for that reason. tax those are the specifics peol so, yes, it's good. but it's not sending the signal that it usually would, which e g for. th's the criticism. but this conversation will continue down the road. would be good for everybody in the whole economy. >> erin knows this stuff. alice stewart, mo elleithee, she'll be out front 7:00 p.m. eastern later tonight. loved working with you at the conventions, erin. thanks for coming in. thanks very much. >> you too, wolf. stunning new pictures from >> see you soon. >> okay. mars. what the curiosity rover has the number of americans been up to. suffering in today's economy and clint eastwood breaks his extends far beyond just those who are unemployed. silence on the rather bizarre for some having a job doesn't speech he gave at the republican national convention. necessarily mean having a place to live. he's now revealing how he actually came up with that idea. cnn's kyung lah joins us now with this part of the story. kyung. >> reporter: these numbers don't show reality for working class. we met a man who makes a decent middle class wage, but he's not living the sort of suburban life you might expect. julius is behind the wheel of a santa barbara mtd bus five days a week. a full-time job that pays $19 an

hour to the jovial driver with the unforgettable beard. when his workday is over, he moves from his bus to another vehicle, his van, where he lives. >> a regular full-size mattress. >> reporter: this is home because he makes too much to qualify for public housing but can't afford rent in the high cost city of santa barbara. a lot of people think if you have a full-time job in america you're okay. that's not really the case for you, is it? >> no. i got a full-time job. i'm barely making ends meet. >> reporter: debt from a failed small business piled up. and he and his wife are still digging out. so this county parking lot is where they sleep. joined by more than a dozen others who live in their cars. it's called the safe parking program. 114 spaces spread out across the county with a waiting list of more than 40. >> i have senior citizens. i have couples. i have families. >> reporter: a third of the people says the program's manager have jobs but are

underemployed. like approximately 17% of americans. what do you think it says about america when somebody who has a job, who wants to work, still has to live in a car? >> i think people would be shocked. i think they would be shocked if they would come and meet some of these people because i'll tell you, when they come into my office, i want to cry. because it reminds me of someone that could be my mother, my sister, my brother. >> reporter: or your bus driver. >> morning. >> reporter: who starts his day on the move. breakfast with his wife, mary, is at the donut shop. >> toothbrush, tooth paste. >> reporter: the bathroom, a public one. the dressing room, the back of the van. >> normal life is what you miss. living in a van is not the norm. >> reporter: has the middle class in america changed? >> i think the middle class has

slid dn the scale a little bit more towards the lower class. it's a little tougher for the middle class people to survive and to actually pursue the dream. >> i love you too. >> reporter: he keeps chasing his dream hoping whoever wins this election will be able to shift the economy into gear. >> good morning. thank you. >> reporter: he and his wife say they've considered moving to a more affordable city, but he'd have to give up his full-time job. in this economy, wolf, he's worried that there wouldn't be a job in a new city. >> stories behind the story. thanks very much, kyung, good report. appreciate it. an anonymous group claims to have stolen mitt romney's tax returns and demands a ransom. but is it a heist or is it a hoax? this happy couple used capital one venture miles

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mitt romney has dismissed all the political demands to release more than two years of his tax returns. but now an anonymous group claims to have hacked into them and holding them for ransom. brian todd is looking into this. what are you finding out? >> wolf, no indication anyone's willing to pay a ransom right now. and there are real questions over the legitimacy of this claim. nonetheless this has drawn in the u.s. secret service and an investigation is underway. >> i've paid taxes every single year. >> reporter: and he's released his tax records covering the past two years. democrats have been clambering for more, but likely didn't expect they'd appear through a plot right out of "ocean's 11." there's a claim of a sophisticated heist of mitt romney's tax records. an anonymous letter posted online is boasting just that.

and includes an extortion attempt against romney's accountants price waterhouse coopers. the letter says a team breached offices on the night of august 25th in tennessee. the team gained access on the third floor via a gentleman working there. then it says they moved to the second floor, set up shop in an empty office and "all available 1040 tax forms for romney were copied." >> and we're in. >> reporter: cue the ransom demand. the group purportedly behind the heist wants a million dollars or de-encrypt his tax records on september 28th. the group also says all major news media outlets are going to be sent encrypted copies of some of mitt romney's records. so far nothing in my inbox or anyone else's here. claims packages were sent to price waterhouse coopers and the offices in williamson county, tennessee. inside those packages flash drives allegedly containing copies of the romney tax records. >> we actually thought that it

was, you know, some sort of prank. and actually i almost just threw it away. >> reporter: good thing williamson county democratic chair peter berg didn't do that. the secret service has that package now. has even dusted his office for prints. price waterhouse coopers tells us we are working closely with the united states secret service. and at this time there is no evidence that our systems have been compromised or that there was any unauthorized access to the data in question. do you think this is a hoax? >> i think it's difficult to tell at this point. >> reporter: former justice department cyber crime prosecutor explains what the hackers would have had to do to get into romney's files through that office in tennessee. >> they got credentials to get into a computer here. they connected through the network to the pwc headquarters using the authorized credentials of somebody's access account, downloaded the document from the central computers or the document repository, locally, saved it to a flash drive and

absconded with it. >> reporter: he says to do that the thieves would have had to collaborate with a person in that tennessee office or trick them into giving the password for romney's files by using some kind of phishing scheme or something like that. he says very likely only a couple people in the entire realm of price waterhouse coopers would have that password. the secret service will not confirm there's been an actual breech. wolf. >> are there other things that extortionists or these hackers would normally do to indicate to these victims that they have this information? >> there are. mark says when hackers actually do something like this and they want some kind of a ransom, they th o tt fi would it byicinndsss know. and he points out that in this case they've given no detail like that. so this may not be legitimate. >> could still be just a hoax? >> could be. >> but the secret service is investigating. >> they're checking it out of course.

>> thanks, brian. thanks very much. up next, the speech that made democrats go wild. >> all across america, auto back, manufacturing is rebounding. why? all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation

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live pictures coming into us right now from the university of iowa. iowa city, iowa. pretty soon the president of the united states, the vice president, dr. jill biden, the first lady, michelle obama, they will all be there at a campaign event. we're anxious to hear what they have to say on this, the day after the democratic convention. the day also when jobs numbers came out that were pretty disappointing. our coverage there will go on. standby for that. in the meantime, if there was a surprise in the democratic convention, it was the fiery arm-waving speech by the former michigan governor jennifer gran home. she ignited the attack on mitt romney, an all-out praise for president obama who saved america's auto industry in its

darkest hour. watch this. >> the entire auto industry and the lives of over one million hard working americans teetered on the edge of collapse. and with it the entire manufacturing sector of this country. and we looked everywhere for help. almost nobody had the guts to help us. not the banks. not the private investors. and not bain capital. but in 2009 the calvary arrived. and our new president, barack obama came in. he organized the rescue. he made the tough calls. and he saved the american auto industry. [ cheers and applause ] now, you know, you know, mitt

romney, he saw the same crisis. and you know what he said? let detroit go bankrupt. now sure, sure, mitt romney loves our lakes and our trees. he loves our cars so much they even have their own elevator. but the people who design and build and sell those cars, well, in romney's world the cars get the elevator and the workers get the shaft. [ cheers and applause ] you know what i'm say in'. mitt romney, he says, he says that his business experience qualifies him to be president. sure, he's made a lot of money. good for him. good for him. or maybe i should say good for

him. but how did he make that fortune? and at whose expense? you know too often he made it at the expense of middle class americans year after year. it was profit profit before peo. but president obama with the auto rescue, you know, he saved more than 1 million american jobs, but it wasn't just michigan! hey, hey, hey, it wasn't just michigan, my friends. in colorado the auto rescue saved more than 9,000 jobs. in virginia, virginia! more than 19,000 jobs. in north carolina 25,000 jobs. in wisconsin, wisconsin, 28,000 jobs. in pennsylvania, 34,000 jobs.

in florida, 35,000 jobs. in ohio, 150,000 jobs. and in michigan, 211,000 good paying american jobs, all across america. autos are back, manufacturing is rebounding. [ cheers and applause ] [ crowd chanting usa, usa ] mitt romney did say let detroit go bankrupt, who took the wheel?

barack obama! when america was losing 750,000 jobs per month, who gave us a lift? barack obama! when american markets broke down, who jump started our engine? barack obama! and when america needed help, who got us rolling on the road to recovery. america, we need to rev up our engines in your car and on your ballot, the d is for drive forward, r is for reverse. in this election, we are driving forward, not back. let's reelect our great president, barack obama! >> wow, what a speech that was. i was on the floor listening to her. she really as you can see electrified the crowd. probably the rescue of the u.s.

auto industry the main reason the romney campaign right now spending no money advertising in michigan, i suspect they think michigan is a lost cause for them right now. other news we are following, including space shuttle and shuttle "endeavor" preparing to go t los angeles. why the last 12 miles of the trip are causing big controversy. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing a reason...to look twice. introducing a stunning work of technology -- the entirely new lexus es. and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. and the first-ever es hybrid. perform, compete and grow. and people are driving this change. that's the power of human resource the society...

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"endeavor" takes off for the last flight to los angeles. soon after, it travels final miles on the ground to its new home. that's where the controversy

begins. casey wian explains. >> reporter: here is the problem. in front of me is one of the hundreds of trees, what's left of hundreds of trees cut down to clear a path for space shuttle's final trip. it will begin the final leg of the final journey here at los angeles international airport. it will then take a 12 mile trip along city streets to the california science center. even before the trip starts, it's already causing a lot of controversy. the main reason, all of these trees you see here and hundreds of others throughout the city are being taken out to make room for the space shuttle. along the route, it will pass famous l.a. landmarks, like randy's donuts, pass over the 405 freeway. i can't go on the freeway, it is too big to fit on the overpasses.

the first stop is in t ewd w mohan130 trees already have been cut down. the mayor says it is a good deal for the city. >> one of the things you notice manchester boulevard is freshly resurfaced, happened two-and-a-half years ago. one of the reasons it needed resurfaced, these trees' roots buckled the pavement. we will get an opportunity to not only replace the trees, after five or ten years, undo the work that was done replace them two for one with trees in the forestry master plan. and also, we get to participate in history by having this come through the city. >> trees shouldn't be cut down unless necessary and for them to cut down the trees for a space ship, not necessary. >> reporter: it is not jus trees that are being removed. they have to temporarily take out stop lights and they have to raise power lines, install brand new poles. as the shuttle makes a right turn on martin luther king junior boulevard, it will enter

the historic neighborhood. this street is lined with scores of beautiful trees. many of the local residents here are very upset that many of them will be cut down for the shuttle. what will the loss of some of the trees mean? >> not only does it strip us of our beauty, but also in terms of the health of the community, we start finding that the environmental protections are lost. trees enhance the economic value of our homes. >> reporter: we are approaching the final destination, california science center, which is paying to move it through the streets of los angeles. the science center says it will leave a trail of improvements, including two new trees planted for every one that's cut down. it says the ultimate benefit will be here, a tourist attraction that literally has been out of this world.

now, even though the trees are being replaced two for one, one woman that lives in this neighborhood tells me this tree was over 100 years old. obviously residents aren't going to be able to get benefits from the new trees this try was providing, shade and beauty for decades to come. that's why they remain upset. >> very upset. casey, thank you. happening now. a weak jobs report could put a damper on any convention bounce the president may get. he will speak live this hour. romney camp is pouncing, hoping to undercut president obama's big play for two battle grounds. they're moms and bloggers and telling both parties what women voters want. i am wolf blitzer. i am wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room". -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com mitt romney describes the jobs report as the hangover

party for the convention. the unemployment rate actually fell slightly to 8.1%. but that's mostly because more than 350,000 people stopped looking for work. let's bring in our chief business correspondent ali velshi going through the numbers for us. what's going on? >> wolf, we don't know why people stopped looking for work, but 368,000 stopped looking for work. what it did, it brought down the overall pool of people that are considered in the work force. in america, you're considered in the work force if you're employed or actually looking for work. when that number was reduced, what it did is have the effect of lowering the unemployment rate because 8.1% is the new unemployment rate. that's why that's not good news because we're measuring a smaller pool. we now have the smallest pool of available workers since 1981.

the work force participation rate. now, there are reasons people leave the work force, wolf. people are retiring, people are returning to school, but in some cases, take the example of somebody that's unemployed in a place where their housing values are lower an they were when they paid for the house that they can't leave. that's part of the problem. so this unemployment report is not good. you need about 150,000 jobs, new jobs a month, just to keep pace with the added number of people to the work force. so the fact is you see that on the right of the screen. we added 96,000. lower than expected. there were estimates for 120 to 145,000, some thought higher. much lower than expected, much lower than needed. even the drop in the unemployment rate, wolf, does not actually signal good news. >> even worse news, the revised on what the previous two months say, actually 41,000 or so jobs were not created after all. earlier they thought they were.

>> often when we get, regularly when we get the jobs created number, remember, jobs created number and unemployment rate are two different surveys conducted by the government, often they revise the last two months. in this case, they did revise the last two months lower. 41,000 jobs lower. what that does, that changes what i call the obama administration's magic number. and that means for the next two job reports, there are two more left, last one comes out four days before the election, the obama administration would like to see 261,000 more jobs created in september and october because that will allow barack obama to make the claim that he has replaced every job lost under his watch. in the last thirty months, private sector added jobs for every month, that's the part the obama administration and white house is trumpeting, but that 96,000 is lower than expected and lower than needed. >> ali velshi, thanks very much.

we are standing by for an event in iowa. the president and vice president will be speaking there. presumably they'll mention the jobs report. president obama has been emphasizing the economy is still creating jobs, while mitt romney is focusing in on jobs lost. >> today we learned that after losing around 800,000 jobs a month when i took office, business once again added jobs for the 30th month in a row. a total of more than 4.6 million jobs. [ applause ] but that's not good enough. >> the president said by this time we would be at 5.4% unemployment. 5.4%. instead we're at about 8%. you know the difference that that makes in how many people would be working in america? 9 million people! >> of course, unemployment is a huge issue in this election, especially in key battleground states. the president made a play for two states in his convention speech last night.

let's bring in our chief national correspondent john king, he is reviewing the numbers for us. john, what do you see? >> wolf, that speech you mention, the president referred to michigan and ohio, making the case of auto bailout. you played last hour, jennifer granholm saying barack obama saved the auto industry. why is that important? it is important in the wake of job numbers. it is a tough sell for the president. go to michigan to look at unemployment in the course of the obama presidency. this is a tough sell for a president trying to convince the american people things are getting better. one of the ways you try to do this, play the cards you're dealt, one point unemployment was 10%. now that rate, it is not great news, but it is back at 8.1%. he can say from peak of the recession, things are getting a bit better. but it is a tough sell. look closely at one of the dynamics makes it hard for the president. you look at this report, 360,000, almost 370,000 leaving the labor market, this is what hurts the president, wolf.

heard him talk about more and more things are being made in america. as we get oser to the election, manufacturing lost 15,000 jobs. that's tough for the president, especially in the midwest battle grounds. won ohio and michigan last time. question is, can he hold them this time. what are the factors the president hopes help him? unemployment is down from beginning of obama presidency, so is ohio, 7.2%. from 8.6 when the president took office. some places like colorado it is up, north carolina up, nevada up, in the key midwestern battleground of ohio, it is down. why does it matter? wolf, back to 1960, last time ohio got it wrong. it voted for the winner in the presidential every election since. this is strong or leaning obama states, including michigan in that, if he can keep michigan and add ohio, look what it does. it puts the president at 255. you mention he is in iowa.

if a state like ohio bets for the president, safe bet iowa is as well. get ohio and iowa, look where it ts the president. 261. takes 270 to win. mitt romney could afford to win one state, he would have to run the board. even in tough economic times, the map is slightly in the president's favor if he can hold ohio. that will be a big test. keeping ohio would make it almost impossible, not impossible, but almost impossible for mitt romney to win the white house. >> i notice the romney campaign have a lot of cash to spend now that he is legally the official nominee of the party. they put ads up in eight states in battleground states. i didn't see wisconsin, certainly not michigan on that list. wisconsin, home state of paul ryan. michigan where romney was born. are they giving up on these states? >> they say no. we need to watch this closely. there was super pac spending in

michigan, 16 electoral votes. there have been gop pro-romney super pacs in michigan. that's stopped. they say they're not giving up. if they give up on michigan, it changes the dynamic. governor romney wanted to take that state, put it in play. if that's safely in the obama call, then wisconsin. you make a key point, over the next several weeks, watch where the money goes on ad spending. that tells you where they think they have a chance. >> follow the money. we will have more on the way the new jobs play on the campaign trail. kate bolduan has more top stories. >> a lot going on, getting back to washington, back in the saddle. other headlines we're watching. the u.s. plans to slap a terrorist label on a group based in pakistan. hakani has ties to the taliban, blamed for kidnappings and bombings whose targets include americans.

author and journalist that covered afghanistan says it is a significant move. listen here. >> and i think what we have today from the state department and from the obama administration is an acknowledgment that the hakanis are bad news and deserve to be taken out rather than reconciled with. >> the terrorist designation makes it easier for the united states to go after those that support the hakani network. in syria, a series of explosions rocked damascus as civil war fighting escalated in the capital and suburbs. this car bomb exploded near two ministries and a car bomb killed six in another part of the city. opposition reports 130 died in fighting across the country. one-third inhe capital chicago bracing for the first teacher strike in a quarter century. 29,000 union teachers union

members threaten to walk off the job. ted rowlands explains what's going on here. >> reporter: as you might imagine, pay is one, another job security for veteran teachers when schools are consolidated or shut down. they want those teachers protected. another thing is chicago is extending the school day this year and want specifics laid out in a contract which the board has been reluctant to do. >> if the teachers walk off the job, chicago officials will open 144 sites across the city to give 400,000 students effected a safe place to go. and cnn confirmed jesse jackson junior is back home in washington after being treated for depression at mayo clinic. we have been following this closely. the illinois senator, jackson has been out since may. we asked his chief of staff if he will be back to work when the

house reconvenes, we heard we hope. we were speaking to him yesterday in charlotte. >> saw him in charlotte. obviously wish his son the best. >> it was fun, great to be part of the team, led by you. >> you did a good job. >> thanks, wolf. big joint campaign event soon in iowa. the president, vice president, the first lady, dr. jill biden all together. get ready. you're going to see it live here in "the situation room." ♪

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cnn's commander of u.s. special operations forces has contacted key members of the navy s.e.a.l. team that killed osama bin laden to reconfirm details of bin laden's last moments. the extraordinary step came because of the version book no

easy day written by a former navy s.e.a.l. barbara starr is digging into this for us and joins us. barbara, what's going on? >> admiral william mccraven, a man you know well from having interviewed him has taken the extraordinary step, extraordinary, going back to members of the s.e.a.l. team that killed osama bin laden and asking them one more time more than a year after it happened, did it go down the way you told me. and military sources are telling me that the s.e.a.l.s came back and said absolutely. here is the key question. it is raised in this book, no easy day, by one of the navy s.e.a.l.s there who says he is telling the real story, he says when they went up the stairs when he got into the room, bin laden was already on the floor essentially in his last moments of life. he had already been shot.

he was twitching and gasping. s.e.a.l.s say that's not how it went down. they entered, bin laden was standing up, they perceived him to be a threat, that's when they shot and killed him. mccraven went back to the s.e.a.l.s, including the first man in the room, he wanted to make sure because this book is now so controversia admiral mccraven is a guy as you know, wolf, he wants his details straight. he went back to the s.e.a.l.s. they told the admiral it went down the way we told you it went down. >> admiral mccraven is an excellent special operations guy and knows what he is dealing with. i am sure he wants to get to the bottom of this 100%. all of us want to get to the bottom of this. barbara, thanks very much. it is a big story. >> fascinating how much controversy this book caused. understandably so with allegations in it. coming up, both presidential candidates are hitting the campaign trail today. we have been talking about that.

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less than 24 hours after the finale of the democratic convention, the obamas and bidens are on the road again. we are standing by for their event in iowa. let's go out there. chief white house correspondent

jessica yellin is traveling with the president. what are you learning about when the president saw the jobs report and his immediate reaction? >> reporter: hi, wolf. i understand the president saw the jobs numbers thursday night, last night. i don't know if he saw them before or after his convention speech, but it is standard practice for the white house to receive the job numbers the night before the public sees them, so that the president's top economist can speak to the fed chair or treasury department in case they think it is a market moving event, and that is exactly what happened last night. i am told the president did review them. perhaps he knew before he addressed the american public. >> the president and vice president and their wives are in iowa, university of iowa. give us a preview. what do we expect, iowa being a key battleground state? >> reporter: this is a crowd that's been standing outside

here, wolf, for at least four or five hours. and it has been raining on and off. they have been standing here waiting for him. they're excited to see him. he will be here with the vice president as well. both of them speaking, the topic will be the economy. but they will be speaking to a very fired up crowd that's been listening to music and getting quite drenched. the president has been hitting this topic, this joke line that's been somewhat biting, trying to draw distinction with mitt romney on taxes, suggesting that the president if he is reelected will work for the middle class. if mitt romney is elected president, he will work for the wealthy, the millionaires, by trying just to cut taxes for millionaires, and the joke line is every time he shows up, there's a new thing taxes will do, help you lose weight, cure a cold. when he shows up here, we will see what new joke he says it will do.

wolf? >> jessica, we're going there live when we see the president and vice president. thanks very much. mitt romney is engaged in a long distance debate with the president over the weak jobs report. our national political correspondent jim acosta is with romney in new hampshire. jim? >> reporter: that's right, wolf. mitt romney will be here at this minor league baseball stadium in new hampshire in a little less than an hour from no where he will be giving a pitch to voters on the economy, and earlier in the day, he was served a major league softball in the form of the latest unemployment report. mitt romney tried to offer sobering words of what he called the hangover after president obama's convention party. yet another disappointing report on the nation's stagnant jobs market. >> it's been 43 straight months above 8%. it's a national tragedy. >> reporter: at a brief news conference, romney had a new line for where the president is taking the country.

>> the president's plan is four more years of the four last years. and i don't think the american people want four more years of the four last years. >> reporter: romney hit back at the president's charge he has yet to offer many specifics, promising his plan will create 12 million new jobs with tax cuts, fewer regulations, more domestic energy. listen to how he vowed to tackle the deficit. >> balancing our budget. president bush and president obama neither made conscious steps on that front that needed to be made. >> reporter: as for that jab from the president at romney's gap on whether the british were ready to host the olympics. >> you might not be ready for diplomacy with beijing if you can't visit the olympics without insulting our closest ally. >> reporter: the gop nominee punched back. >> i am pleased my olympic experience allows me to talk about the olympics in a straight talk manner and i think it would be appropriate if the president would talk to china in a straight talk manner. >> reporter: this president can

tell us it was someone else's fault. as soon as the president's speech was finished, romney campaign announced an aggressive ad blitz in eight states captured by mr. obama four years ago. >> i should tell you, i feel right at home because i'm in a barn. >> reporter: ann romney was in one of those states, virginia, urging them to turn over the reigns for the economy over to her husband. >> so let's talk some horse sense. barack obama said four years ago if i can't turn this economy around after three-and-a-half years, i'm looking at a one term presidency. [ cheers and applause ] well, it's our turn to turn the economy around and i know mitt can do it. >> reporter: you heard mitt romney talk about 43 straight

months of unemployment over 8%. paul ryan tweeted something to that effect earlier today. there's a danger for mitt romney when it comes to that 8% figure. you saw the unemployment rate today taken down to 8.1%. if it goes below 8%, it could take away the entire line of attack for mitt romney. as one romney adviser told me, they see an opening on the economy that they're going to be drilling into for the next 60 days. >> going to do their best on this issue of the economy. thanks, jim. it will be a powerful issue, this whole debate. >> oh, yeah. >> i am anxious for the three presidential debates in october. >> and as you know, we have one jobs report coming out right before people head to the polls, few days before they head to the polls. it is going to be interesting up to the end. something we're obviously watching. president obama and mitt romney, talking about this hour putting very different spins on the august jobs report. so who is right? our economic panel is ighing in next.

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happening now. the president, vice president and their wives all on the stump together. we'll go there live. undecided voters rate president obama's convention speech and whether his goals are clear or fuzzy. and at'she secreto winning the women's vote? mom pundits have some tips. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." dramatic highs and lows in the race for the white house now in full swing with the conventions over. and both campaigns laser focused on november. the spotlight had barely cooled for president obama's big night when the latest unemployment report cast a shadow over the democrats' post convention glow. joining us, president of the center for american progress and steven moore from "the wall street journal." mira, i will play a clip. this is what mitt romney said reacting to the latest numbers,

then we'll discuss. >> this is a tough time for middle class in america. there's almost nothing the president has done in the last three and a half, four years that gives the american people confidence he knows what he is doing when it comes to jobs and the economy. >> i thought mitt romney's statement, governor romney's statement was fascinating. if you see the whole statement, he criticized the president. he again didn't layout any ideas on what he would do. >> were you satisfied in the president's acceptance speech in what he said he would do? there were goals he laid out, he didn't get into specifics how he would achieve the goals. >> he did talk about the hiring of teachers, that's a situation there, a great example of what's happening in washington. one of the problems we have in the economy is w lost 700

public sector jobs, a big drag. we should be hiring teachers. that was a specific idea the president laid out. and i wanted to clarify one thing on manufacturing. i think it is an important point. manufacturing is a critical, critical component of economic recovery. i don't think we should look at augu necessarily as a stand-alone or some indication because that's a time where every year plants shut down. there's more of a blip than something we should look at long term. >> he has been criticized including editorial writers from "the wall street journal," talking mitt romney, that he hasn't laid out a lot of specifics how he would turn around the economy. >> this is a pretty lousy number, way below where we should be, and fits a pattern of this recovery, it has been the weakest recovery since the great depression. >> having said that, 96,000 jobs created new jobs is better than

losing 7 or 800,000 jobs. >> if we had the average growth rate we had, we would have -- >> do you accept this collapse of the economy, at the end of bush administration was the worst since the great depression? i think what rgan inherited was worse. >> 800,000 jobs less. we didn't see that in 1979. >> we had 14% inflation. you're probably too young to remember this. 14% inflation, 20% mortgage interest rates and the american economy was deindustrializing. the economy on a 12 year decline. we should be doing better. not just me saying this. >> romney didn't really get into specifics in his acceptance speech. >> i think that was a weakness. the american people want more. you read his plan, he talks

about how he wants to cut taxes, obama wants to raise them. he wants deregulation, obama wants more regulation. wants to cut spending, president obama wants more stimulus spending. there's a pretty big clash between what the two candidates are talking about. >> unfortunately i don't think mitt romney has done anything beyond what you have just said. we're talking he has given a sentence on what he would do. he is not providing new ideas or specifici specificity. >> he wants to overhaul the tax system, something we have been trying to do a long time. >> many of these major tax cuts, he didn't talk about. >> he wants to overhaul the tax system, not saying which deductions and loopholes he would eliminate. >> if he said we have to get rid of mortgage deduction, charitable deduction or this and that, you and the media would pick that apart. you have to do this in the context of a broad reform where you're lowering rates, getting

rid of as many deductions as you can. >> here is what the president said in his acceptance speech. i'll play this clip. >> i cut taxes for those that need it. middle class families, small businesses, i don't believe another round of tax breaks brings jobs to our shores or pay down our deficit. >> you believe another round of tax cuts for millionaires -- >> i think the fact we have the highest corporate tax rate in the world is a significant depressant to the economy. >> what about raising the highest income tax from 35 to 39. >> that's a horrible idea. by the way, we're not talking about cutting tax rates, we are talking about getting them back to where they have been. if we do that, if you raise those tax rates, people that get hit the hardest by those raising of taxes are small business owners. >> just to be clear about where mitt romney stands, he wants to lower the individual rate, 20% across the board, lowering the individual rate. >> through tax reform. >> yes, but lowering taxes for

the highest income americans, okay? not just the status quo. in 1993, we raised taxes, president clinton raised taxes on highest income americans and we had eight years of job growth, fantastic job growth and so this idea that tax cuts is the solution -- there's no evidence to that. >> the opposite policy of bill clinton. welfare reform has been the opposite. on spending. >> i'll take bill clinton's word from wednesday over yours. >> those policies are different. that's the problem. bill clinton isn't on the ticket. >> he said, welfare reform, medicare, budget, i agree with barack obama. his policies are the ones to move us forward. he is a fantastic validator. >> we will continue this.

thanks to you both for coming in. >> thank you. on the road again after the convention, the president, vice president, first lady and joe biden on the stump in iowa. looking at live pictures. we are going there next. ♪ you know, ronny...

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romney and obama campaigns are going to great lengths to win over women voters. but like any voting block, there's great diversity within the group. >> cnn's lisa sylvester talked to two paying close attention to the conventions. what are you finding out? >> if you look at the speaker lineups of republican and democratic conventions, women play prominent roles.

both parties are coveting the women's vote. we talked to two bloggers, one liberal, one more conservative to find out how the two candidates measured up. >> come on, big guy. >> this arlington, virginia mom came to the united states when she was eight from the former soviet union. she says the early memories in the united states helped shape her current views. she believes passionately in her rights and freedoms as an american. she served in the u.s. military and writes a blog called the liberty zone. if politicians want to know a few things about the so-called women's vote, they can stop by and ask her. >> we care about the same issues as men care about. we don't want to be targeted as some kind of special interest group. we are not. we are people. we are americans. we are people trying to make a living and trying to support our families. that's no different from any man. >> she has followed and blogds

about the democratic and republican conventions. >> what would it take to get my vote, it would take for each of them to put forth a balanced budget that cuts spending, that reduces our debt, that reduces our deficit, and that puts our country on a secure economic footing. without that, it's just more talk. >> women matter. they may be what puts president obama over the top. 54% of women leaning towards the president. 42% to mitt romney. republicans hope to close the gender gap as november approaches. democrats to expand their lead. the convention speeches reflect that outreach. >> it's the moms who have always had to work harder to make everything right. >> at the end of the day, my most important title is still mom in chief.

>> in chevy chase, she writes a blog. she says the economy is front and center on the minds of middle class moms. there's another issue that surfaced for her, access to birth control. >> certain fights i thought women had fought and that we had certain rights that we didn't have to worry about any more. >> she says if there's one common thread among women bloggers, it is this. >> what i am seeing online, they truly want to know specifics from both sides. like it is all well and good to get up on the stage at both conventions and tell us that you have policies that are going to address unemployment, going to help our kids be better educated and that will help clean air and clean water, but what specifically are you going to do? >> they have different political views, but still looking for the same thing, more details from the men battling to lead the country for the next four years. and we saw republicans do a

major pitch to try to win over women in the republican national convention, but you know what, the numbers, they didn't change much. when it comes to women, president obama still maintaining his double digit lead over governor romney. kate? >> we will see what happens in the next two months. both parties clearly trying to appeal to women voters inventions in the last two weeks. lisa, thanks so much. take you back to live pictures from iowa city, iowa, where the president, vice president are about to start speaking. they're making their way to the stage. going to be going there next. stay with us. mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs g of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. it pays to discover.

there he is, the vice president joe biden, running a little late, so is the president. they're finally at university of iowa in iowa city, got a rally going on on this, the day after the convention. let's listen in. >> jim faucet, another great mayor, great to be with you. thank you, jim, for your service wherever you are, for your service in the korean war. really appreciate it. wasn't the president incredible last night? [ applause ] i tell you what, doesn't it make you proud to be an american?

[ applause ] folks, the president and i have become friends. i know this guy. he has courage in his soul. he has compassion in his heart, and he has steel in his spine. want to tell you. i have been with him almost every day the last four years. there's not a day gone by i haven't been grateful that barack is our president. it's about his courage. he has the courage to make the tough calls on education, health care, medicare, ending the war in iraq, bringing end to the war in afghanistan. [ cheers and applause ] folks, this president is going to level the playing field again and bring the middle class back in the game for a change.

[ applause ] he knows how america was built. he knows it was built by the growing great middle class. and he knows and i know something our opponents either don't know or seem to have forgotten, america is not on the decline, america is on the rise! [ cheers and applause ] let me say again what i said last night to our opponents. gentlemen, it is never, never a good bet to bet against the american people. [ cheers and applause ] folks, you know folks on campus know the president better than just about anybody in any state. you know he only has one gear, forward, forward, forward! and ladies and gentlemen, it is

my honor to introduce you to you my friend, president barack obama! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> hello hawkers. it is good to be back at the university of iowa.

a couple of people i want to mention. first of all, your outstanding congressman is here. your mayor matt hayek is here. and somebody who's been with me since we started our first road trip here in iowa back in 2007, your attorney general, tom miller's, in the house. and all of you are here. it is wonderful to be here. and some of you guys know i've just come from charlotte, north carolina. where we had an outstanding convention. folks down there could not have been more welcoming. michelle, what can i say, she was amazing.

president clinton made the case the way only he can. somebody sent around a tweet saying, you need to appoint him secretary of explaining stuff. thought that was a pretty good idea. and then joe biden was all fired up. he was ready to go. then last night i did my best to lay out the stakes of this election which could not be higher. you've seen both sides made their argument. you know now what a fundamental choice we have ahead of us. i believe this is the clearest choice we've had in my lifetime. it's not just a choice between two candidates. it's not just a choice between two parties. it's a choice between two

fundamentally different visions of our future. where america goes. ours is a fight to build that basic bargain again that created the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. the basic bargain that says if you work hard it will pay off. that responbility will be rewarded. that everybody gets a fair shot. and everybody plays by the same set of rules. from main street to washington, d.c. and restoring that basic bargain is why i got in the public service in the first place. i started my career working in the shadows of steel mills. and for the last decade, we've seen too many families here in iowa be an all across the

country struggling with costs that keep rising even when paychecks don't. people racking up more debt, using credit cards, home equity loans. just to make the mortgage or pay tuition or put gas in the car or put forward on the table. and all that collapsed in the great recession. where millions of innocent americans lost their jobs and their homes and their live savings and we have been fighting to recover ever since from that devastation. now, our friends at the republican convention, they liked to talk about everything they think is wrong with america. but they didn't have much to say about what they'd do to make it right. they want your vote. they want your vote but they don't want you to know their plan because they know you wouldn't buy it. because we tried it. all they've got to offer is the

same prescription they've been offering for 30 years. tax cuts. tax cuts. tax cuts when times are bad. tax cuts when types are bad. tax cuts to help you lose a few pounds. tax cuts to improve your love life. whatever the issue, they've got one answer. >> we're going to continue to monitor the president at iowa, university of iowa. we'll have much more. we're watching what's going on. stay with us. ere've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move

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